【SetList】NingenIsu AomoriQuarter September 15,2013

In the Beginning

I went to the “Ningen Isu” concert tour.

When I arrived at the venue, there were many, many more people than usual.

I think there were twice as many people as usual.

The power of Ozzfest.

Shigan-Goeika

As usual, the band members appeared with this song.

It was the first song on the new album, and I had expected that maybe they would play it, but as usual, it was used for the entrance music.

Shincho-Kyurakyukyu-Bushi

I had expected “Kuroyuri-Nikki” to be played at the beginning of the show, but this song was played for the excitement of the audience.

The audience was saying “Kyu-kyu-kyu ” and “Bunga-cha-cha”, it was very exciting.

Jinsei-Banzai Hooray for life

Another exciting song from the new album.

The audience filled with Banzai!

This kind of straightforward music is the feature of the new album.

It’s cool!

Here comes the banter.

The audience laughed when Suzuki said “We’re having a bad day today…” as usual.

We have a typhoon coming today.

The main riff of “Jinsei-Banzai” was composed by Suzuki, who revealed himself that it sounded just like the riff in the middle part of “Kofuku-no-Neji”.

Exactly…it’s similar.

I didn’t notice it until he told us.

Speaking of Hirosaki and cherry blossoms, they talked about memories of the Cherry Blossom Festival.

The story goes that people in Hirosaki eat crab while watching the cherry blossoms.

I don’t remember eating crab, but crabs were usually sold at street stalls in the old days.

It was banned because crab shells were thrown away and it was not good for the environment.

Haru-Ranman Spring in Full Bloom

This is my favorite song in the new album.

It is well thought out.

It’s all about the fast playing of the solo.

I can see the fluttering petals of cherry blossoms in my mind’s eye.

Sakura-no-Mori-no-Mankai-no-Shita In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom

This is an old song related to cherry blossoms.

A great song.

It is a long song, but the structure is so elaborate that we will never get tired of it.

I love the heating up from middle part to the ending.

Banter

Suzuki said that “Sakura-no-Mori-no-Mankai-no-Shita” was the last song of the concert in the early days of the band.

The audience laughed when Suzuki said, “That’s why it feels like the end of the show.”

Suzuki said that the next song they would play was “Neputa-no-Mondoriko”.

The lyrics were written with the image of the kind of picture he would like to have if he were to put up a float.

Wajima said that he saw the Nebuta festival in Aomori this year.

When Wajima told Suzuki that the Nebuta was also good, Suzuki became grumpy.

The Neputa in Hirosaki has a different musical accompaniment on the way to and from the festival.

“Are the Nebuta just going to go?” Wajima said.

Suzuki replied, “If I answer that, I’d be bad-mouthing the nebuta.”

The banter was in more of a groove than usual.

Neputa-no-Mondoriko

This is a very exciting song.

In a way, this is the most original song of the new album.

It would be nice if there were more songs with Suzuki’s lyrics.

Yurei-Ressha Ghost Train

Another nostalgic song.

And a great song.

The fusion of lyrics and riffs is the best in the history of “Ningen Isu”.

The whistle and the sound of the train tracks are really impressive.

Banter

Suzuki told the audience that there were two songs from the new album that had not been performed live yet.

The next song was “Tsuki-no-Mona Lisa”.

When Suzuki first received the lyrics from Wajima, he thought it was a love song because Mona Lisa is as beautiful as the moon.

As Suzuki tuned, he asked, “Does it look like I’m tuning?　Actually, it looks like I’m tuning, but I’m remembering the lyrics,” he said, eliciting laughter.

Tsuki-no-Mona Lisa Mona Lisa of the Moon

I thought it was the most subdued song on the new album, but it was so cool to see it live.

I especially liked the middle part.

Good performance – as usual.

The lyrics seemed okay too.

Banter

Wajima talked about how he had made the album for Ozzfest with a lot of energy.

He wrote the music in a tent in the mountains in winter.

He introduced the song by saying that his hands were biting from the cold, and he wrote a song with a riff that could be played even with biting hands.

Eisei-ni-natta-Otoko The Man Who Became a Satellite

Two space songs followed.

I wonder if this is a riff that can be played even with a numb hand, though an amateur cannot understand it.

As the last song of the album, it is magnificent and moving.

If it had been the previous albums of “Ningen Isu,” they would have been more insistent on the structure and would have made it a longer song, but they kept it short and simple.

Inju Beast in the Shadows

This is a masterpiece that has existed since the beginning.

The sloppiness characteristic of their early days is unimaginable from their current sound.

Many people must imagine this kind of song when they think of “Ningen Isu”.

Kuroneko Black Cat

This live performance was good with many unexpected song selections.

This is one of my favorite songs.

The audience got quite excited in the middle part of the song.

Banter

Wajima talked about the history of “13-Seiki-no-Hanayome,” a song about the continuation of a dream.

I had read this many times in interviews.

13-Seiki-no-Hanayome 13th Century Bride

A song with a heavy riff and poetry reading.

The power of Wajima’s narration was incredible.

“Love is not something you can store up…isn’t love something you can lose everything and still dedicate to someone?”

It was a very moving statement.

Banter

Wajima said that reciting poems was quite difficult and that he did not realize how tiring it would be after the performance was over.

From here on, it was Nobu’s turn.

As usual, his banter was a lively one.

Please call me “Aniki!”, which seems to have become a regular event of the band.

Kumo-no-Ito The Spider’s Thread

Oh, Nobu, you’re a good singer.

It’s almost the same as the CD.

One wrong lyric, though.

Anyway, the riff is really cool in this song.

I was headbanging hard at the last thrash part!

Aomori-Rock-Daijin Aomori Rock Minister

The intro of this song made us say, “Oooh!”

Is this a song only for Aomori?

The audience all shouted “Aomori!” and Wajima smiles.

Jinmenso Tumour that takes the shape of a human face

The famous songs continued.

The last part of the show.

Wajima seemed to be struggling with the vocal range, but good things are good.

Hari-no-Yama Hell’s Mountain of Needles

A classic song as usual.

A cover of “Budgie”.

It’s always a good time to get excited.

The main part ended here.

The encore started.

I’ve never heard “Ningen Isu” call before.

The members appeared on stage again.

Wajima started the encore by saying, “For the encore, we will play the standard songs and the songs we wanted to play. I don’t know if you’ll like it or not, but…”

Ai-no-Kotoba-o-Kazoeyo Let’s count the words of love

This is a rare song.

It is a good song when I listen to it again.

It’s a pop song, but it also has a Sabbath-like feel to it.

The female audience in the front was especially excited.

Dynamite

Oh, I haven’t heard this one in a while!

It’s a super-fast riff, but there seemed to be a little bit of shifting in the performance.

But no matter, it was a great crowd pleaser.

I headbanged so hard my neck hurt.

The second encore.

Suzuki was wearing a kind of see-through black robe, and the audience laughed.

Because his ass was showing.

Dottoharai

The closing song was the usual one.

It is a great song no matter how many times I hear it.

Suzuki’s performance always reaches a critical point with this song.

Amazing movement.

At the end

Well, I was very satisfied with this live performance.

It seems that many of the setlists nowadays seem to be in a rut, but this time it was good!

There were many unexpected songs that I really enjoyed.

I also liked the fact that manysongs, such as “Ringo-no-Namida” and “Tengoku-ni-Musubu-Koi” which had always been performed, were omitted from the set.

The good atmosphere during the live performance is also becoming more polished.

As Wajima said, “I made it as if it was our second debut album.”, it was a great show.

And I even had the feeling that the band was in its prime.

Wajima said they will be back next year, and I will be waiting for the next show with bated breath.

September 15,2013　Freakz

〈Postscript〉

This was around the time when “Ningen Isu” appeared at Ozzfest and started to gain popularity.

Before this, I used to go to see them with same-day tickets, so things can change with a single chance, can’t they?

I remember that “Shigan-Goeika” had been used as an entrance music even before it was included in the album.

I remembered that when I read the report.

But the setlist was so full of rare songs that I couldn’t believe it was an album release tour.

“Ningen Isu” is very aggressive.